The present subject matter relates generally to a keyboard user interface for mobile devices and touchscreen computers. More specifically, the present invention relates to a mobile device keyboard using clustered keys for improved accessibility.
Using the keyboard on mobile devices is often difficult for users with a physical disability, users with low vision, and users using a smartphone while wearing gloves. Keyboard buttons on a mobile device are often small and close together, so many users who are otherwise able to use the basic functions of the device struggle to enter text.
Many users have experience with the difficulties of trying to use a mobile device while wearing touch-sensitive gloves. It's still easy to use basic phone functions, but the precision needed for typing makes it difficult and frustrating because it is so hard to target the small keys.
Users with more significant disabilities often have an even greater difficulty using the keyboard on mobile devices. For such users, tapping a desired keyboard button may be slow and difficult; double-tapping may be impossible. With a desktop or a laptop computer, challenged users may use a key guard or a special extra large keyboard, but those devices are not appropriate for use with mobile devices.
Smartphones and tablets are now a part of everyday life. Those who cannot use them miss out on a very important means of communication and participation in the community. As the population ages, an increasing number of people will face usability issues with mobile devices.
Existing mobile operating systems and other developers have attempted to address the problem of users with disabilities by providing switch access. With this method, each button on the screen is scanned in turn, and the user taps anywhere on the screen or presses an external switch (connected to the device via Bluetooth) when the desired button or key is highlighted. Switch access generally involves a single switch requires the user to press their switch at the correct time (when the required item is highlighted). This is difficult for a significant number of users, for example, some people with cerebral palsy get very tense while waiting for the scan, and then hit the switch too soon or too late. Those users then have to go through the whole process again to select the delete key and correct their error. In short, switch access is unnecessarily complicated and very slow, requiring many switch presses to select a single letter.
Thus, there is a need for systems and methods that provide disadvantaged users with improved accessibility on mobile devices. Accordingly, there is a need for accessible keyboard applications for mobile devices and tablets, as described herein.